Cameron Tucker
Cameron "Cam" Tucker is Mitchell's partner of five years, and one of Lily's fathers. He is played by Eric Stonestreet. Personality Cam has a very big dramatic personality. His bubbly outgoing personality contrasts to Mitchell's uptight manner, which causes them to be very opposite. Cameron grew up on a farm in Missouri. He was a starting center for the University of Illinois football team (which he and Jay bond over, much to Mitchell's envy) and is a very big sports fan. Cameron also fosters many unusual hobbies such as collecting antique fountain pens, being adept in Japanese flower arrangement, filming home movies, and acting as a classically trained Auguste clown named Fizbo. Currently, he is unemployed and acts as a stay at home dad to Lily. It is also mentioned that Cameron was considerably thinner and in fit shape when he first started dating Mitchell. Mitchell's overview Mitchell and Cam are shown to be foils of each other. Mitchell, who often acts very mature and does not like to act like a gay stereotype, is the opposite of Cam's outgoing, dramatic personality. Mitchell often does not approve of Cam's actions, such as dressing up Lily (their adopted Vietnamese baby) in diva attire, or auditioning her for commercials at a young age. Mitchell also does not approve of Cam's clown alias, Fizbo. Despite their numerous differences, Mitchell and Cam are shown to have a very good relationship. Cam's carefree nature acts as a balance to Mitchell's uptight nervousness, such as in the Pilot, when Mitchell was nervous about presenting Lily to the family. Mitchell and Cam have been compared to Claire and Phil, respectively. Jay's overview Jay was originally (and is sometimes shown to still be) unsupportive of Mitchell being gay, and was therefore unsupportive of Mitchell's relationship with Cam. However, Jay and Cameron have improved their relationship over time, mainly by bonding over their mutual love for sports, much to Mitchell's dismay. In Moon Landing, Jay is nervous to go to the gym with Cam because of the locker room, which he thinks would be a "showroom" to Cam, because he is gay. The situation worsens when Jay and Cam's buttocks accidentally press against each other while they are changing. Physical appearance and typical attire Cameron is often the target of insults because of his weight, mostly by Mitchell's mother, DeDe, though it is implied that before they were expecting Lily, prior to the beginning of the show, Cam was considerably thinner. Cam often wears turtle neck sweaters or a dress shirt. Whenever he is seen wearing a suit, he always wears a carnation. Cameron has been shown to very be conscious about his appearance. In "Strangers on a Treadmill", he wore bike shorts (which were censored) while beginning to work out again, before Claire told him they did not look good on him, which caused him to cry. The censorship of the bike shorts in this episode sparked controversy, although both Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell, confirmed that the censorship was intentional and not an act by the network or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Quirks and personality traits Cameron has a bubbly and outgoing personality, and is considered a stereotypical gay man. He acts as a stay at home dad to Lily, though he taught music before. In Travels With Scout, it is revealed that Cam is an experienced rock drummer, and he filled in for Haley's boyfriend, Dylan's, band at the last minute. He was heartbroken when the original drummer returned. Cameron grew up on a farm in Missouri. He was a starting center for the University of Illinois football team (which he and Jay bond over, much to Mitchell's envy) and is a very big sports fan. Throughout the series, Cam is shown to be very emotional, often crying when even the slightest bit upset, and reacting dramatically to startling news. In multiple episodes he often feels betrayed by Mitchell in some way, be it Mitchell forgetting to send out invitations to a party he was throwing, or participating in a flash mob without inviting him, and he invariably responds by dramatically saying "How could you, Mitchell!?!" In The Bicycle Thief, Cam became very upset when a woman at Lily's playschool criticized a performance by Meryl Streep. He is also shown to be a bit of a wimp (except when somebody threatens or harms him or his loved ones), though Mitchell has been shown to be an even larger one. He is also portrayed as clumsy in social situation's such as Mitchell's job interview, when interacting with Lily's pediatrician, and when he had to explain to Gloria a misinterpreted remark. Interests Cameron has a wide variety of hobbies. They include collecting antique fountain pens, being adept in Japanese flower arrangement and filming home movies. Cam is an avid fan of musical theater. He particularly enjoys Meryl Streep and Laura Linney. In Airport 2010, Mitchell stated that Cameron once cried for an entire flight from New York to Los Angeles (which is at least a five hour flight) because the two were unable to get tickets to see Billy Elliot on Broadway. Fizbo One of the most critically acclaimed parts of the series was Cam dressing up as an Auguste clown named Fizbo, in the episode of the same name. Eric Stonestreet created Fizbo himself when he was eleven years old. His performance in the episode featuring Fizbo earned Stonestreet the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2010. He reprised his performance as Fizbo in the season two episode Princess Party. Family Cam has a great relationship with his mother, Barb, calling her "the greatest woman who ever lived." In "Mother Tucker", we learn that Mitchell is uncomfortable around Barb because she always seems to "feel him up" when they are alone. Cam eventually solves this problem. In the same episode it is revealed that Cameron has three siblings, at least one of whom has a child, as in "En Garde" Mitchell mentions his nephew's christening celebrations. Reception Cameron and Eric Stonestreet have received positive reviews for the character. In a review of the season, Robert Canning of IGN named Cameron Tucker the best character of the season saying, "Cameron's many talents and passions revealed over the course of this first year became an ever-building running gag. But it will be hard to top the sheer joy that was "Fizbo"." He also called Fizbo, the episode and the clown, the highlight of the season. Along with Ty Burrell, Stonestreet received a Television Critics Association Award nomination for Individual Achievement in Comedy. He also won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The reception of Cameron and Mitchell has led to the idea of a spin-off of the two titled Mitchell and Cam. Even so, Cameron maintains equal popularity compared to other characters among the show's viewers. Category:Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Male Characters